C341 aggrieved
Director He glared at a few more yamen runners as if he had not met expectations of success. He smiled and said, "Relax occasionally, there won't be any big problems."
Relax occasionally?
"Are you sure it's an occasional relaxation? "Hmm?" Liu Zhimo looked at Director He with an expressionless face, "Magistrate Ma, recite." He passed a large stack of documents to Magistrate Ma, and had him recite them one by one.
He didn't have the time to waste here with them. There were more important things to do.
Magistrate Ma held onto his throat, cleared his throat, held onto the information, and read it out loud.
As he recited them one by one, Director He began to sweat profusely as he cursed in his heart. How come he didn't know that these bastards had actually done so many bad things?
This time, he probably wouldn't be able to protect them.
Magistrate Ma read until his mouth was parched, only then did he recite half of the crime from the information, only to see Liu Zhimo raise his hand and stop.
"Director He, do you want to continue listening?" Liu Zhimo looked at Director He with his cold and detached eyes. "There's still half that I haven't finished reciting. I can let Magistrate Ma continue reciting it to you."
More and more cold sweat appeared on Director He's forehead. He smiled awkwardly and said, "There's no need."
If he continued to listen, it would only make him more embarrassed.
Liu Zhimo pursed his lips, his eyes turned towards the few yamen runners, and asked them if they have any objections to the charges.
The few bailiffs' legs went weak, and they almost kneeled on the ground. They never thought that Liu Zhimo would investigate their situation so clearly, and there were even some things that they wouldn't be able to recall if Magistrate Ma hadn't mentioned them.
They looked towards Director He as if begging for help, wanting him to save them.
Only Director He could save them.
"Director He, what should we do? "Tell me." Liu Zhimo left the decision in his hands to Director He.
Director He pinched his own palm, and said with his head lowered: "Humans are not sages, they are not inferior to others, I hope Master can give them a chance to start anew." As he said that, he quietly gave a few bailiffs a meaningful glance, telling them to plead with Liu Zhimo.
The few bailiffs that received Director He's signal flopped down to their knees and kowtowed to Liu Zhimo, begging him to give them a chance to start anew.
After looking at these few entertaining constables for a while, Liu Zhimo raised his head and looked at Director He with a smile that was not a smile, "Magistrate Ma, continue reading." Under so many crimes, they still had the nerve to plead with him, giving them a chance to turn over a new leaf?
Just one crime was enough to make them suffer, let alone so many.
Looking at the beastly expressions of these few people, Magistrate Ma's heart happily continued to recite, and his voice was a lot louder than before.
These people had been lawless for a long time, so it was time to punish them.
After Magistrate Ma finished reciting all of the crimes, Liu Zhimo asked Director He again, what else was there to say?
Director He licked his dry lips, and for a moment, didn't know what to say. He never thought that these people would be so scoundrelly, even more outrageous than him.
"Lord, we know we are at fault. We truly know we are at fault. Please give us a chance. We will change. We will definitely change." The few runners knew that Director He wouldn't be able to protect them, so they could only ask Liu Zhimo to forgive them.
"Big... "Master, look .." After a moment, Director He spoke again.
Liu Zhimo looked deeply at Director He, waved to the guard standing to his left, and whispered a few words into his ear.
The guard replied and left.
Director He did not know what Liu Zhimo wanted to do. He was a little perturbed in his heart, and felt that Liu Zhimo was much harder to deal with than the county magistrate.
Even Fourth Uncle had to avoid it.
At the end of the day, Liu Zhimo's backer was the one who backed him. Otherwise, they would have killed him a long time ago.
"Lord, they didn't contribute much, but they did. Can you give them a chance?"
Liu Zhimo leaned his back against the back of the chair, his hands crossed in front of his stomach, his eyes looking straight at Director He, he did not say a word.
Give them a chance? Then why didn't they give the person who pleaded with them a chance?
When he saw what these constables had done, he was so angry that he didn't sleep for the entire night.
If he still allowed these people to continue to act mighty in the yamen, then he would no longer be fit to be the Ninghua County's County Magistrate.
After waiting for a long time and not hearing Liu Zhimo's reply, Director He could not help but raise his head and glance at Liu Zhimo. When he met Liu Zhimo's pair of deep and cold eyes, his heart couldn't help but shiver for a moment, and then quickly drooped his eyelids.
He never knew that a brat that was still wet behind the ears would have such a terrifying gaze and strong aura.
He was starting to believe his wife's words. He could not easily offend Liu Zhi Mo, or else his family would be implicated.
"Lord, we pleaded with you, why can't you give us a chance?" After begging for so long, Liu Zhimo still did not make a sound, and one of the bailiffs could not help but raise his head and question Liu Zhimo loudly.
Hearing this natural tone, Liu Zhimo was angered to the point that he started laughing. He leaned forward slightly and stared at the bailiff with his sharp eyes, "If someone kills your entire family and that person begs for mercy, are you willing to give him a chance?" Who gave them so much face, who even moved his lips to plead for mercy, and wanted him to forgive them?
"Impossible .." After the bailiff finished his sentence, he realized that Liu Zhimo had set him up, "This is different."
"It's different. What you have done, killing you a hundred times isn't too much." Liu Zhimo said coldly.
Initially, he had planned to be more prepared before dealing with them.
Yet, they were unlucky to be hanging in front of him. This caused him to be unable to endure any longer.
When he told Magistrate Ma to ask them to leave, he predicted that they wouldn't leave and would cause a huge ruckus.
Sure enough, they didn't let him down and made a ruckus.
What followed was the current scene.
If Director He knew that this was Liu Zhimo's plan, he would probably vomit blood from anger.
"My lord, do you have any proof that we did it?" His eyes turned as he thought of a way, and loudly refuted Liu Zhimo, "Master, you've been dissatisfied with us for a long time, who knows if you could have purposely pressed those crimes on us to get us to scram?" Since pleading was no good, then he might as well act shamelessly.
"That's right. We don't remember doing the things that you said."
"My lord, you can't avenge your personal grudges in public."
Hearing these words, Director He almost applauded them, but he couldn't help but smile.
These people were not stupid, they could still defend themselves.
Liu Zhimo laughed and clapped his hands, "Not bad, not bad at all." As he spoke, his smile faded, "Don't worry, this official will let you die without a doubt."
Seeing Liu Zhimo's confident look, the few yamen runners became nervous again.
Had he really found a witness?
Those few bailiffs looked at each other, then turned to look at Director He at the same time. They blinked their eyes at Director He desperately, telling him to think of a way to save them.
With how unsatisfied Liu Zhimo was with them, he would definitely not let them off.
They didn't want to die yet.
Director He wanted to hide himself and not be seen by Liu Zhimo.
One must know, he had also done a lot of bad things. If he let Liu Zhimo find out about it, then he ..
He was a clay buddha crossing a river and could not save himself, so how could he possibly save them?
Seeing that Director He did not say a word, the few bailiffs knew that they could not rely on anyone else today, only themselves.
"My lord .."
"Shut up!" Liu Zhimo raised his hand, interrupting the yamen runners who wanted to speak, "No need to ask me for mercy, you should ask them for mercy, see if they are willing to forgive you?"
Under the puzzled gazes of the constables, Liu Zhimo slapped the Shocking Wood and shouted for them to come in.
The next moment, with a loud 'waa' sound, the court was filled with many civilians.
"Silence .." Liu Zhimo once again patted the great wood, and said in a solemn voice, the originally noisy citizens, all instantly quietened down, all of them opening their eyes and looking at Liu Zhimo.
"Do you see the people below?"
"I saw it." That loud voice almost flipped the roof of the court, "Sir, these people are villains. They bully us commoners, so you have to uphold justice for us!"
Liu Zhimo patted the Shocking Wood again, and only then did he manage to control the scene that almost went out of control.
"The reason I brought you here today is to let you all be witnesses. Tell me how they bullied you?"
As soon as his words fell, the citizens started talking at once, and the court became rowdy once again.
Liu Zhimo pressed down on his temple with a slight headache, then slapped the table with the Shocking Wood once again.
He looked at the people who had quietened down once again, and told them to say, "Don't worry."
Hearing this, the citizens were silent for a moment. Then, someone stood out and spoke out about the crimes of the yamen runners.
At the beginning, it was easier to talk about them one by one.
At this moment, a mournful wail could be heard, "Milord, milord, you must uphold justice for this humble woman!"
The commoners opened up a path for a white-haired, ragged woman to cry as she stumbled in. She knelt on the ground with a thump, begging Liu Zhimo to uphold justice for her.
"Old man, don't cry. If you have any grievances, just say it out. I will make sure that you are in charge."
The woman forcefully wiped her tears and pointed to one of the bailiffs, "Sir, three years ago, he raped my daughter and made her hang herself. "Not only did she not seek justice for her daughter, but she also imprisoned the child's father. When he returned home, he became ill and died soon after." Speaking of this matter that pierced into her heart, the woman cried to the point of being unable to contain her tears. "Lord, you must uphold justice for this humble woman!"
If not for the fact that she wanted to live to see this wicked person in hell, she would have long ago given up on living and gone to meet up with the children.